Heart of the Home

It’s odd how the President of the United States can take the time to weigh in on the college Sweet 16 brackets, but a chef, or her staff, or her reps, etc. cannot make the time to meet with a dying child for the Make A Wish Foundation.

I am not saying the woman isn’t busy, what with books tours, and filming, and cooking…I just wonder if whomever is in charge of her schedule or the reasoning as to why time cannot be taken out to make a dying child’s wish come true, can or will sleep comfortably at night, or look at themselves, when the day comes should this child lose his battle with Leukemia.

There is a reason I did and will not name the chef-I don't believe she is what is important here, besides, they say even negative publicity is better than none. It is merely that a child's dying wish went ignored and or unfulfilled...for any reason, under any circumstance. As adults we are faced with the realization that not all dreams come true, but then that's life. Just a shame that this child/ any child, dying for whatever reason, under whatever circumstance, faces that reality every minute of every day, from the moment they are faced with their own mortality. Every child has a wish/dream...that they might live to see another day, shouldn't be one of them. That it is, and still his dying wish was not or will not be granted is the only detail I am concerned with. Then that's just me.

I had a sister that was diagnosed with Leukemia at 3 months old and they gave her 3 weeks, she fought back and endured more pain than any one person should ever have to, at any age, let alone in one’s lifetime, and she managed to live 3 years. The fact that she and or any other child or adult, fights for their life and to live in the face of such adversity, pain, suffering, and hardships, while the families of these patient’s, along with organizations, and volunteer’s, doctor’s, researchers, nurses, etc. are doing anything and everything within their means and or power to sustain, maintain, love, care, and support them, yet a chef from Food network cannot make the time to meet with one boy, as his dying wish.? This child is dying, and could have chosen to meet anyone, and he chose a chef, a chef that has either forgotten who butters her bread (fans), has never saw or known firsthand, the suffering of losing a child to Leukemia and the toll it takes on their little bodies, or employs a staff and or group of representatives that should clearly be unemployed after such an egregious affront against humanity.

I do not know this chef personally, nor do I know what is the ‘reasoning, justification, or circumstances for as the who is the real person or what the real reason is that this meeting has not taken place, only that, there is so much argument and backlash that resulted as a consequence of not meeting this 6 year old’s dying wish, that the real reason and the sole purpose there is such an ‘uproar’ over the ‘snub’ to begin with, would have never occurred in the first place, had someone, anyone, working with, for, or representing, and or employing said chef, including the chef herself, would not and should not have placed anything above that of human life. Sadly, more people show up at funerals than birthday's or celebrations.

I understand not everyone can be everything to everyone, and not everything is always, as it seems, and that sometimes things, schedules, and life are chaotic and it is not humanly possible to meet the needs of everyone, stuff happens, I get it. However, if the leader of the free world can somehow manage to take time out of his busy schedule for a ‘tradition’, I do not understand how someone, or anyone for that matter, cannot make the time to meet the needs, and or fulfill the dream, of any child’s dying wish, regardless of her ‘bosses’, representatives, obligations, personal issues, etc. If something, if anything becomes more important than humanity, compassion, empathy, and or charity, if anything takes precedence over human life, one cannot help but question the heart and the human condition as a whole.Where is the humanity if even making a dying child's wish possible, is ignored or denied due to 'scheduling conflicts'? Can't make time for life even in the wake of death?

The irony of this situation is that cooking, and food, for many, comes from the heart and soul, food is often tied to memories, fond memories, heartfelt memories, for so many food is a means of comfort. My sister was 6 when she lost her battle with Leukemia, her body was so weakened and destroyed by not only the disease but from the treatments that were being used to sustain her, that all her veins had collapsed, and she had to be fed intravenously through her head. My father, whom I recently lost to Lymphoma, had a tumor on the left side of his face that impeded his ability to eat, food which was once something that brought them joy, comfort, pleasure, became nothing more than a painful reminder of yet another ‘freedom’ the malady cancer robbed them of. As is the case with many cancer patients undergoing treatments and or the symptoms of this horrible, dreaded, indiscriminant, disease.

Perhaps that is why this brave young man chose this particular chef, he said he remembered being so sick and lying in bed with his mom watching her show. He bought into her ‘act’ and even if it is not, or was not, an ‘act’, the fact that she could not find it within herself, within her heart, to reach out and make this dying child’s wish come true, and that Food Network, and it’s bosses, employees, staff, and representatives could not collectively join together to make this dream possible for this young man is beyond my understanding.

They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home…I sure hope Food Network and all its chefs, cooks, stars, staff, representatives, sponsors, bosses, employees, etc. think of that when a little six year old boy doesn’t receive his dying wish because the heart of that kitchen was closed.